Friday

Hutch Makeover & Chic Shelf Paper Review

I'm so sorry for the silence over here. I've spent the last few weeks finishing up my Home Depot style challenge and have totally neglected the blog!

This project has been semi finished for a while. My mom picked up this hutch for me at Goodwill a while back. She graciously stored it in her garage for me until we moved. Once we got settled in to the new house, I realized it would be a perfect fit in my daughter's room and all the extra storage was a nice bonus.

Here is where it started. It had a funky crackle glaze finish going on so I had to give it a really good sanding.

On a side note, the folks at Goodwill labeled it as a "chester." I guess it kind of makes sense, a mix between a chest and a dresser? :)

So, once I sanded it down I gave it 2-3 coats of Behr Marquee Graceful Gray. I love this color, it's a great neutral with a little bit of warmth, but the hutch still felt like it was lacking something. It just felt too plain and the inside seemed too dark to me.

Thankfully the people at Chic Shelf Paper reached out to me to review one of their products. It was perfect timing because I was trying to find something that would work on the back of this piece. I had actually tried wrapping paper, but it was a total fail. It got all wrinkly and wouldn't lay flat. I went with the classic black & white dot in a fine weave fabric. They sent me a roll that I could cut to size, but you can also order your pieces pre cut to save you a step.

Cutting it was super easy though. I just used a razor blade, yard stick, and cutting mat to get crisp clean edges.

I was going to take pictures of the process, but it's pretty simple and I didn't have a free hand to snap pictures. You just peel of the backing a little at a time as you are applying the paper. If you mess up you can reposition it so it's very forgiving. It also comes with a small squeegee so you can work out any air bubbles as you go.

I think it really brightens up the back and gives it a more playful vibe.

My mom also recently gave me these horse prints that she won at an auction. They were pretty dirty, but a good scrubbing and some fresh paint made them good as new. I thought they were just so sweet.

The existing hardware just needed a little rub 'n buff to freshen it up.

It really is a great product and seems like it will be durable too. I kind of want to cover everything in it!

Chester! Haha! I love it. Those horse prints are so cool! I have a friend who's little girl is seriously into horses. She would love those. Now I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for something like it at a thrift store...

I love the idea of using a piece like this in a child's room! I have been looking for a very narrow secretary cabinet to put between the beds in my boys' room. I love how "Chester" turned out! That needs to forever be the name of this piece! So cute! Robin @ designbyrobinsnest.blogspot.com